By Steve Garrett
Back in the day, we used to dream
that oil would run dry,
and our planet could begin to breathe again;
seas freed of deadening plastic,
and an end to the stench of consumption.
Possessions replaced by connectedness,
and new communities growing,
rooted in respect for the earth
and for each other.
Locked down, we’ve had a taste
of how things could be,
if we kicked our addictions to black gold,
and the temporary treasures
it lets us indulge in.
I try to write poems which have something to say about our challenging times, covering some ‘big issues’ (including issues of the heart, of course) but always aiming to entertain and intrigue. I’m still optimistic , despite life’s many paradoxes and disappointments – inspired to write by the belief that insightful words can help us know and appreciate each other better.
These Lockdown Days: a reflection on the kinds of radical changes I used to hope for, and believed were possible, when I was a young man in the sixties, but which I came to understand had to be worked towards more slowly and patiently, and might never happen at all.
I’m in accordance with you Steve and the poem is very skillfully worded. Especially like ‘the stench of consumption’ and the suggestion that possessions keep us apart.